Hi guys, have been on finesteride for around 15 months. It has not stopped my hair loss. I have had little in the way of side effects: periodic ache in the testicles that goes away after a day or so. Am thinking of trying Dutasteride but am a bit nervous. I understand it is not licensed in the UK for hair loss, but there are sites (e.g. Oxford Pharmacy) which will supply for this purpose. Is this legal does anyone know? I wonder if I should consult my NHS doctor first before buying?? Has anyone any thoughts on all this? My idea was to take it instead of finasteride around twice a week at first and then build up.
Thinking Of Moving From Finesteride To Dutasteride
- Thread starter Nuntius
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If you're really getting negative side effects from Finasteride, I do not recommend to get on Dutasteride. The drug inhibits more DHT than the other so the effects could be really unpleasant if they're already bad on the less potent one. Please talk to your doctor for any professional medical advice.
longhair1983
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IMHO, I think it is worth a try. I don't think doctor can even give a conlusive answer. Given that the two drugs inhibits type 1 and 2 5alpha reductase differently, it is really hard to predict the result unless you try it.
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I’m on dutasteride and I can honestly tell you it’s better. I’m in my 9th month and my hair has drastically stopped shedding the last couple of weeks (to the point where losing 10 hairs a day is a bad day). And I have a few new hairs appearing each day on the hairline which will hopefully thicken up by month 14. I get mine from pharmacy gb and buy a 6 month supply as you have to pay for a prescription (£25). If you get no sides on finasteride like I did then you will likely get no sides on duta.
I personally would stay on finasteride for atleast 2years though.
Thanks Stephen. I do have some side effects from Finesteride, which is a slight ache in the testicles. But it comes and goes. Have you experienced that? I am shedding a lot at the moment, but am 6 weeks into a course of 12.5% minoxidil with Belgravia clinic (still taking the finasteride). They tell me this is a good sign, but it certainly doesn't feel like that. Things now so bad that I think I would only take Dutasteride if I thought it might bring back the hair I have lost over the last couple of months. It is at the front and middle so is really beginning to change my appearance. My worry about dutasteride is that it stays in the body a lot longer than finasteride, so if I have an adverse reaction then will be difficult to eliminate for some time. That said, not sure how much longer I can go on like this. PS I keep reading that dutasteride is not licensed for hair loss in the UK, so not sure how these pharmacies can provide. I note that places like Boots and Superdrug will not supply it.
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I think it depends on the phamacist. Without fail I get prescribed duta. It’s legit GSK branded avodart. It’s used to treat swollen prostates if I’m correct, so rigorous test would have been done on the drugs (hair regrowth is technically a side affect lol). The only issues I read about it other then the sides is that it makes it difficult to detect prostate cancer. But since men over 40 are most likely to get it I have a good 14 years before I need to start worrying about that.
PS do you think finasteride might start working after 2 years? I have been on it for around 15 months and it does not seem to have stopped the loss. I am in my late 50s so the prostate cancer issue is obviously much more an issue for me.. I think I may have to accept my lot for a few years and try a hair system, or live my life with hats, until hopefully there is another remedy launched e.g JAK inhibitors or cloning or whatever (though I just hope I have enough healthy follicles for the latter). Not sure about Trinov: I have had so many disappointments that I just doubt this will work for me.
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Your hair loss should slow right down. Have you only been on min for 6 weeks? Or was you on 5% before that?
Some guys get good results on just finasteride or duta but the vast majority including myself need to add min in order to see hair regrowth. As it speeds up the hair growth cycles.
finasteride for 15 months; added 5% minoxidil for about 12 months of that: but was still shedding. Only been on 12.5% minos for 6 weeks (with the finasteride), but have had a lot of shedding since then. Belgravia say this is a good sign; but am losing faith. Suppose I have nothing to lose to try for another couple of months in the hope that the hair that has shed will come back. Would be just happy to keep what I had 6 weeks ago. I wondering about adding dutasteride a couple of times a week, but a bit nervous as a more powerful drug.
Thought I would join this discussion as I think I have an interesting story and would be curious to hear responses. I'm 46 and started noticing thinning in my hairline in my late 30's. Over the past 3 years it's gotten much worse, so I started looking into FUE hair replacement. A year ago I actually went through with it and had 2000 follicles transplanted from the back of my hair to my hairline and crown. After about 7 months I starting noticing nice results and pretty much had most of my hair line back. Well a few months later I seemed to be regressing and getting thin again. I should also mention that I'm testosterone therapy which I think is greatly contributing to hair loss. My test levels are really high which I love, gained lot of muscle and dropped a lot of weight. I'm sure the high test is leading to high DHT, so my Dr. prescribed Avodart. I starting taking it and after only 1 week noticed nasty sides. Nipples were getting sore, bloating and very little sex drive. Coincidentally I was due for my 6 month lab. Results were crazy my test level spiked up to 1100 on day 8 when generally they would be at around 700. They immediately backed down my dosage but I found it interesting that the avaodart would cause that type of test increase. With the half life of duta being so long I thought I could take it twice a month and at least block some of the DHT but lower the sides. After week 7 I noticed a lot of shedding which I know is a good sign but never reassuring as my hair looks almost as thin as it was before my transplant. I'm at week 10 now and the shedding has slowed but no real positive regrowth although I know it takes much longer than that to see results. The other thing is when I take the Avodart I feel like sh*t for almost a week until I seem to normalize going into week 2. Anyone have a similar story or feedback on whether propecia might be a safer and better option? Sorry for the long post...had a lot to get out.